Power PR: Promotion Planning that Works September 30, 2017 4 Steps - - PDF document

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Power PR: Promotion Planning that Works

September 30, 2017

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4 Steps to PR Success

• 1. Goal

What result do you want?

• 2. Audience

Who do you want to reach?

• 3. Message

Why will they care?

• 4. Delivery

How will you reach them?

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What are you trying to achieve?

• Awareness of your organization or an issue
• New members
• Participation or attendance at an event
• Other?

Goal

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Whom do you want to reach?

• Catholic parishioners
• Current or potential members
• The community at large (media and partnerships)
• Potential recipients of your programs

Audience

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Why will people care?

• Human interest
• Community impact
• Timely or illustrates a trend
• Faith in action
• Celebrity

Message How will you share the message?

• Internal communication tools (website, shareable e‐mails and e‐letters)
• Social media
• Media advisories/press releases
• Parish bulletins, websites and flyers
• Interest‐based blogs, community websites, listserves, interest‐based

email lists (many let you post your own content)

• Catholic, community & regional news outlets

Delivery

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Your Members Catholics Secular/General

Website Parishes  Bulletin announcements  Flyer (emailed)  Social media likes/shares News (print/online)  Local/metro desk  Business (partnerships, business leader)  Calendars (religion & community)  Features  Columnists  Photo desk  Religion  Society events Newsletter Diocesan newspaper, magazine and/or website Radio (news & talk/interview) Blog Diocesan online event calendar TV (news & community service programs) E‐letters Diocesan parish eletter (weekly or monthly)

• r webpage

Hyper‐local websites (Patch.com) Social media Special‐interest eletters (young adults, pro‐life, social justice, schools) Listserves (nextdoor.com, google groups, etc.) Flyer Popular Catholic bloggers / writers Blogs/websites (eg, moms, children, etc.) Catholic TV and radio Social media Social media Diocesan‐wide events (women’s conference, Eucharistic Congress)

Communication outlets by key audience

Make a Difference – Read to Me! Join the Christ Child Society of XX for national Make a Difference Day, Oct. 28, 10 a.m.‐2 p.m., at XXX, Address, City, ST. Bring new

• r gently used children’s books for low‐income families in our

community, join our reading sit‐in and bring your kids to help make bookmarks for kids in need. Contact NAME at xxx‐xxx‐xxxx

• r name@email.com or visit www.website.org for details or to

let us know you are coming “Read to Me” National Day of Service Focuses on Improving Childhood Literacy Children from low‐income families are less likely to have access to books and more likely to start school academically behind middle‐class children. The National Christ Child Society and its members are working to change that.

Make a Difference Day

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Get Started

• Keep it simple
• Focus on the outlets that make sense for your goal, audience

and message – and your resources

• Not every event needs a press release
• Social media, hyper‐local web and parishes can be very effective
• Be user‐friendly
• Well‐written content, knowledgeable, helpful, professional, timely

Basics

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Create contact lists (Excel)

Media

• Outlet name
• Key reporters
• Emails (general press release, key reporters, event listings)
• Phone numbers (assignment desk (TV), metro desk, religion or community reporter)
• Notes (deadlines, photo submissions, interests, etc.)

Community outlets (blogs, user‐content websites, listserves)

• Outlet name
• Login information or email
• Notes (can you post photos, etc.)

Parish contact list

• Parish name
• City/county
• Email (secretary if no bulletin‐specific email)

(ask diocesan communications if there is a “Parish Briefings” eletter or webpage to submit event and bulletin announcements for parishes)

Ideally, 6‐8 weeks in advance (outlet deadlines can be at least 2‐4 weeks prior to an event) About

• Event name, date, time, address, contact information
• Who is involved: sponsors, participants, beneficiaries
• What will happen and how (eg, volunteers in costume will hold a reading sit‐in)
• Why it will be of interest (data, community need, giving back, etc.)

Visuals

• Visuals are important for TV and to post online
• Photos available in advance/after to post on local sites and social media
• Photo releases needed/restrictions on photographing minors?

Spokesperson & media & event contact info

• 1‐2 articulate people to be spokespeople for news outlets

Gather information to tell the story

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Pre‐event pitches: write 4 weeks before the event (if possible), earlier for monthly outlets Post‐event photo or photo/article: within 2 days after an event

• News event‐calendar deadlines vary, but generally are two weeks prior to an event

for a daily outlet

• Weekly bulletin deadlines: usually Monday or Tuesday; send 2‐3 weeks before you

would like the announcement to appear

• User‐generated content can be posted anytime, usually 2‐4 weeks before
• Press advisories can go out closer to an event, but at least two weeks out and then

“bump” the release shortly before the event

• If calling a reporter or TV station to ask for coverage, do so between 10 a.m. and 2

p.m.

Timing

• Strong headline (less than 80 characters)
• Can follow with a 1‐2 sentence summary that shows up on blogs and websites
• Key information at the top
• About 400‐500 words max (ideally) and short paragraphs
• Date, time, place
• Supporting information: 1‐2 compelling data points on literacy,
• What will happen, who will be there, possibly a quote (especially for follow‐up articles)
• Contact name, phone, email and web or social media links
• Boilerplate at the end: 1‐2 sentences that says who you are
• Email – and blind copy recipients if sending to multiple outlets

NOTE: Even if you make a call or send a personal email vs. a formal advisory, you will need the key information!

Write your media advisory

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• 100 words or less
• Simple headline
• Write “Event date: XXXX” above the

headline to help the bulletin editor

• Don’t send too often

tip: monthly, on Monday morning

Digital (user‐posted content)

• Keep it short
• Include a photo or graphic if possible
• Think social media‐friendly

Listserves

• Provide a short announcement to

members to promote event participation through listserves &

• ther networks

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Write bulletin & digital content

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• Have 2‐3 key points in mind and work them into your responses
• If on TV, smile and keep your responses particularly brief (as little as

10 seconds of an interview may be used!)

• On radio, smile – your voice sounds friendlier
• If nervous, take a deep breath and focus on the journalist as a person,

not on the video camera

• Guide a journalist to good visuals and articulate participants – briefly

explain what is going on and provide concrete data (eg, 300 books).

• Offer links for website, social media and social media (many tweet),

such as @nationalchristchild and #ReadtoMe, #literacy and #MDDAY.

Be interview ready

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Christ Child PR in Action

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Monterey Bay: Carmel Pine Cone

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Tucson

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Fort Wayne‐South Bend

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Don’t forget to share your user‐generated event listings and announcements on social media and share media coverage on the National Christ Child Society Facebook page.

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Thank you.

Susan Gibbs

susanegibbs@gmail.com